ROARING PLAINS
Originally my work schedule
called for a trip to Maine last week.
Unfortunately this changed, and my plan to take a mini-vacation in
Baxter State Park was ruined. I was
reassigned to a job in Pittsburgh, which isn’t a bad destination, but it
certainly isn’t Maine. I decided to
make the most of the situation though, by driving to Pittsburgh. Driving enabled me to stop in West Virginia
for a hike in one of my favorite areas.
Christy and I have done
several dayhikes and a couple of backpacking trips in the Dolly Sods Wilderness
and adjacent Scenic Area over the last few years. I consider it to be one of the finest hiking destinations in the
eastern U.S. Initially I planned a
return to the Scenic Area, which is just north of the official wilderness. The hike there along Raven Ridge is
delightful. As I was planning my hike,
I noticed an adjacent area that we hadn’t visited. The Roaring Plains are on the opposite side of the road from
Dolly Sods, but offer similar scenery to the ‘Sods. I decided to check it out.
Dolly Sods has the
distinction of being close to nothing.
Getting there from the nearest major metropolitan area is an undertaking
of some significance. Getting there
from Charlotte is an event. In the
past, we’ve driven up I-81 to Harrisonburg before traversing mountain range
after mountain range on winding, nausea-inducing roads. This time, I decided to try a different
approach. I took I-77, highway 19, and
I-79 before cutting back east through Elkins.
This route was more pleasant, but probably not much faster. I left Charlotte shortly after 6AM, and
reached the Boars Nest trailhead, just east of Laneville, around 1pm.
I was hoping that the
weather would hold off for me. All
week, forecasts indicated that afternoon thunderstorms would be likely. On Friday, rain disappeared from the
forecast, only to return Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday morning, I woke to rain in Charlotte. I drove through rain for a couple of hours,
before finally getting ahead of the storm.
I knew that a dry hike would be dependent on how quickly the rain was
moving north.
There were two other cars
there when I arrived. I chatted briefly
with another hiker, who was doing a similar hike. He took off ahead of me, saying that I’d probably catch up to him
since he hikes slow. I’m pretty sure he
was actually running as he left the parking area behind. I didn’t see him again.
I followed the Boars Nest
Trail down to the South Prong of Red Creek.
Rock hopping was easy, thanks to the low water level. Apparently it has been almost as dry in
northern West Virginia as in the North Carolina mountains. From there, I began a steady climb out of
the valley. The climb was steep at
times, as the trail didn’t fool around with a lot of switchbacks. Eventually I broke out of the woods, just
before reaching the top of the plateau.
At this point, I followed a short side path out to a boulder field and a
great overlook. I took a break there to
admire the view across the valley towards the Dolly Sods area. Although it was cloudy, the view was still
quite nice. Blooming Mountain Laurel
added to the beauty of the scene.
I ended up seeing an
outrageous amount of Mountain Laurel in bloom on this hike. Some of the flowers were the usual white,
but most of what I saw was bright pink.
I also saw a little bit of Rhododendron, but it was a different type
than the Catawba Rhododendron that grows on Roan Mountain and near Mount
Rogers. The shrubs were complimented by
many other varieties of wildflowers. A
mile long stretch of the hike along a gated forest road was highlighted by
hundreds of blooming daisies.
I resumed the hike, climbing
to the top of the plateau. I followed
the trail, which was frequently wet and muddy, through heath glades full of
blooming Mountain Laurel. A short
descent brought me back to the South Prong of Red Creek, which is a tiny stream
at this elevation. Just beyond is a
lovely campsite in a grove of Red Spruce.
A moment later, I reached a dirt forest road.
I was tempted to explore
farther out the road, deeper into the Roaring Plains. I didn’t have time though, which is one of the problems with
driving 10 hours on the same day as your hike.
Instead I turned left, following the road through fields of
daisies. Some time later I reached the
South Prong Trail, which crosses the road.
Most hikers turn left here, to follow the path down along the South
Prong of Red Creek and back to the trailhead.
I had a different plan in mind.
Instead I turned right, to follow the upper part of the trail through
the Red Creek Plains. From the
descriptions I’d read, this part of the trail sounded much more
interesting. Unfortunately, taking this
route would require a 1.5-mile downhill road walk at the end of the hike.
I hadn’t gone far when two
mountain bikers flew past me, heading downhill. I’m not sure, but I doubt that this trail, which is frequently
wet and muddy, is open to mountain biking.
They were the only other people I’d see all day.
A steady climb through deep
woods and Rhododendron thickets followed.
I passed a side trail to a campsite, before emerging in a meadow with
numerous Mountain Laurel shrubs. A
minute later I reached a cairn marking an unofficial path to the right. This trail leads to the Hidden Passage, and
connects to other primitive trails near the canyon rim. I didn’t have much time for exploration, but
decided to take a few minutes to check it out.
This path led to a small
stream and a beautiful campsite situated under scattered hardwoods surrounded
by open meadows. It’s a spectacular
site, worthy of planning a backpacking trip around. I guess I’ll be back!
I stopped for a snack, and a
rumble of thunder warned that my reprieve from the weather was about to
end. I had just enough time to put on
rain gear and stash my camera before the skies opened up. Fortunately the rain didn’t last long, and
after hiking a half-mile or so in rain gear, I stopped to take it back off.
The upper part of the South
Prong Trail is delightful, even in the rain.
It wonders through spruce forest, heath glades, boulder fields, and
bogs. The path never gets boring,
because the surroundings are constantly changing. The Mountain Laurel remained abundant, and I passed a couple more
campsites. At one point, I followed a
blue blazed side trail (the main trail is also blazed blue) out to a boulder
field with a fine view. Like the view
on the Boars Nest Trail, it provides a vantage across the valley to the Dolly
Sods Wilderness. More mountains could
be seen to the east, but those views were somewhat obscured by Spruce Trees.
I was almost at the end of
the trail when the rain returned. I
changed clothes for a third time, and began the slog back to the car. I crossed several boardwalks over boggy areas
before reaching the upper trailhead.
From there, I endured a quick descent along the road back to my
car. As I was plodding along with my
head down, listening to the raindrops smack the hood of my rain jacket, I
nearly ran into a deer standing in the middle of the road. It ran off, but I think it startled me even
more than the momma grouse I’d passed earlier.
She had put on quite a show, whining and thrashing about to draw my
attention away from her nest.
I reached the car a bit
before 6, and began the long, tedious drive back to the highway through the
towns of Davis and Thomas. This route
appeared shorter on the map, but the highway through Elkins is a much better
road. Next time, I’ll go back that way.
It took a few hours to reach
Pittsburgh and the end of a very long, but rewarding day. Later that week, I visited an interesting
restaurant in town. The Church Brew
Works is a restaurant and brewery located inside a beautiful historic
church. Somehow I doubt such a thing
would be allowed in North Carolina! The
food and beer were both good, but not spectacular. However, it was still worth a visit to such a unique place.
Back to West Virginia
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!